Category Archives: Stampin Up

Autumn Flowers

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #46 – sketch.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #46

And here is my take:

by karen @ carefree creations - Autumn Flowers

I have misplaced my Stamp-a-ma-Jig. I know I’ll find it eventually, but I have no clue where it has gotten to. Thankfully since I unmount (foam too) my rubber stamps, and trim close, I was able to fake it pretty well! I can’t be the only person desperately waiting for the time StampinUp puts out a pretty flower PHOTOPOLYMER set!!

Anyway….I’m not sure how CAS this card is, but it is what popped into my head when I saw the sketch. The vanilla is actually the card base peeking through the frame I created with the browns.

I was going to pop the frame, but I thought, with the flowers popped too, that might be too much.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Lizy
Louise
Patricia

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: Posted every Thursday, the challenges alternate between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

Birthday Wishes
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Field Flowers, Bring on the Cake;
Ink/Card Stock: Naturals Ivory, Crumb Cake, Baked Brown Sugar, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip;
Other: Woodgrain embossing folder;

Mosaic Christmas

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by karen @ carefree creations - Mosaic Christmas

Mom needed a Christmas card for an upcoming stamp camp. I thought it would be fun to show how to use a non-Christmas stamp set to create a holiday card.

I loved seeing all the great ideas pour forth when the Mosaic Madness set was first released. I pulled my inspiration from those cards.

To do the border around the Vanilla panel, I used a border stamp from the same stamp set. I stamped it half-on and half-off the panel. It was actually quite easy to line up (I unmount my stamps – even the foam – and cut close) to do the long edges.

The hanging lines were drawn with a marker and ruler.

I finished off the ornaments with a little pearl in the centers.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Merry Christmas
All supplies Stampin’Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Delightful Dozen;
Ink/Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Raspberry Ripple, Very Vanilla;
Other: Pearls, Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder;

Grateful Greetings

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by karen @ carefree creations - Grateful Greetings

Tis the season to be creating fall cards!

Addicted to CAS just posted their new challenge: Autumn/Fall.

On my last card my kiddo really wanted me to use burlap instead of raffia (or as they called it, hay). So I told them they could chose the elements for this card. Burlap and pumpkins with a thanksgiving greeting – those were their choices.

I pulled out the Ocean tides again because it is such a great compliment to orange.

I used a retired StampinUp set. My kiddo also chose to have me color with Copics instead of watercoloring.

To adhere the burlap pieces I first held them to the back of the Ocean Tides panel with some tape; then I machine stitched them down. I covered the stitching with the linen thread.

The whole bunch is adhered to a Rustic Cream card base. I like that you see it through the edge of the burlap – it helps bring in the sentiment banner.

The pumpkins are popped with foam tape at different heights.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Grateful Greetings
Stamps: Autumn Harvest, Grateful Greetings (SU);
Ink/Card Stock: Rustic Cream, Ocean Tides (PTI); Rich Cocoa (Memento);
Other: markers (Copic); burlap (stash); linen thread (SU); Sketched Shapes die, Woodgrain impression plate (PTI);
Technique: machine stitching

Autumn Colors

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It is time for another CAS Colours & Sketches challenge. Check out the latest challenge: #43 – colors.

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #43

And here is my take:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Autumn Colors

These colors are some of my favorite from StampinUp!

I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do for my card, but when the Fall-to-Layout challenge was posted, this idea popped right in my head.

Make sure you check out the other design team members:
Jacqueline
Louise
Patricia

I hope you join us at CAS Colours & Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Little About the Challenge: Posted every Thursday, the challenges alternate between color and sketch (if there is a 5th week in the month you get the double dose of color & sketch).

Thanks
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Gently Falling, Gorgeous Grunge, Off the Grid, Another Thank You;
Ink/Card Stock: Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Island Indigo;
Other: button, linen thread;

Spectrum Leaves

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by Karen @ carefree creations - Spectrum Leaves

My final card from the messy technique newsletter. The baby wipe technique is a great way to make your own spectrum pad.

These leaves are a bit light because I was almost at the end of the baby-wipe pad’s life. I have many other pieces that I stamped using the pad and I hope to make a card with them soon.

Thanks for taking a peek!

You’re in my Thoughts
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Gently Falling, Best of Greetings;
Ink/Card Stock: White, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede;
Other: Apothecary Accents die, Natural Trim, White emboss powder;
Technique: Baby Wipe

Shaving Cream Seas

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by Karen @ carefree creations - Shaving Cream Technique

Yet another technique newsletter card. This time the messy technique was Shaving Cream.

I had such fun with this that I have quite a few left over pieces in all sorts of colors.

This blue piece just screamed nautical, which is quite the trend lately. I pulled out The Open Sea and made a father’s day card.

To make the knot, I just googled knots and found a knot that looked interesting. It did take me quite a few tries and since the ends are chopped off (because the rope was too thick to wrap around the panel), it isn’t like it would work anyway, lol.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Father’s Day
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes;
Ink/Card Stock: Pacific Point, Garden Green, Black, White;
Other: rope (old SU “ribbon”);
Technique: shaving cream

Dual Embossed Flowers

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by Karen @ carefree creations - Dual Embossed Flowers

This is another card I created for the technique newsletter. This time I used Dual Embossing. The basic idea is to use more than 1 color of embossing powder on an image.

You have to add both colors before you heat the image.

The only trick to this technique is that you can’t put the second color back into the jar because some particles of the first color may have come off when you tap off the excess of the second color.

For this card I did the process twice: stamped the leaves, sprinkled the two embossing powders, heated; then again with the flowers.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Thank You
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Summer Silhouettes, Four You;
Ink/Card Stock: Melon Mambo, White, Black;
Other: Embossing Powder – Turquoise, Wasabi, Melon, Tangerine, Rhinestones;
Technique: Dual Embossing

Poppies Caught in Crystal

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Last month I hosted a newsletter for my mom’s StampinUp blog. I did a theme – messy techniques. Here is one of the cards I created for the newsletter.

by Karen @ carefree creations - Poppies in Crystal

The technique I used is called Acetate & Tissue, but I’ve also seen it called Caught in Crystal. Basically, you stamp your image on acetate using permanent ink. Then you put Crystal Effects (or the like) on the backside, drop re-inker dots, smoosh around, sprinkle glitter, and finally layer with tissue paper.

One thing I really wanted to show in my newsletter was that you don’t have to make the card all about the technique – a technique can be a great touch without being overwhelming.

For this card, I trimmed the acetate piece to be narrow and ran it down the middle of my card. I trimmed it up with a lacey border and plopped my sentiment panel over the “boring” bit.

I think all the additional white-space on the card helps make the technique really pop (hmmm, did I just contradict myself??).

Thanks for taking a peek!

Thank You
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Four Frames, Four You;
Ink/Card Stock: Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, White; Stazon Black;
Other: Window Sheet, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Decorative Label punch, Finishing Touches edgelit;
Technique: acetate and tissue;

Life is a Journey

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by Karen @ carefree creations - Life is a Journey

I started with a layout from Fab Friday (#25). That challenge is done by Stampin’Up Demos, so I wanted to use SU supplies.

When deciding what images to use, I pulled up another challenge: Cards in Envy. This is a new-to-me challenge. The purpose of the challenge overall is to create a card that fits in an A2 envelope and isn’t lumpy – well, that is right up my alley as I mail 90% of my cards. Their latest challenge is to create a masculine card. This worked out well as my father-in-law has a birthday later this month.

The final challenge I used was from another new-to-me blog: Shopping Our Stash. Their theme this week was also masculine, but I went for the “use what you have” aspect of the overall challenge-blog purpose. I did not have a good greeting for the card I envisioned, so I used a font. Years ago when I started crafting, I started as a scrapbooker and collected thousands of fonts. I’m kind of a lazy card maker and I try hard to find (or buy) stamps that say what I want, but really, I have such an eclectic collection of fonts that I should use them more.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Life is a Journey
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: The Open Sea;
Ink/Card Stock: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Island Indigo, Very Vanilla;
Other: font (butterbrotpapier);

Split Negative

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My SU Demo (aka Mom) is taking the month of August off to get some work around the house done. I told her I’d be willing to put together a weekly newsletter so her customers would have something pretty to look at. I chose the theme of “techniques”. This is the first week:

by Karen @ carefree creations - Split Negative

I’m very happy with this card! I used an old CAS(e) This Sketch layout (#3).

If you want the directions, you’ll have to sign-up on her site 😉

Thanks for taking a peek!

Thinking of You
All supplies StampinUp unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: By the Seashore, Sweet Essentials, Gorgeous Grunge;
Ink/Card Stock: Soft Sky, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler;
Other: Cherry Cobbler & White embossing powder, Circle dies, Natural Trim ribbon;
Technique: split negative